Folding hat and integral hat crown-shaping and hat-storing device



FOLDING HAT ANU INTEGRAL HAT CROWN-SHAPING. AND

HAT-STORING DEVICE Filed Nov. 28, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet l l6 26 7 I I IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII I I4 4 FIG 2 INVENTOR. IRVIN LIVERANT ATTORNEY Feb; 24,1910 l. LIVERANT 3,496,574 FOLDING HR! AND INTEGRAL HAT CROWNSHAPING.AND

HAT-STORING DEVICE Filed Nov. 28, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. IRVI-NLIVERANT ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3 496,574 FOLDING HAT AND INTEGRAL HAT CROWN-SHAPING AND HAT-STORING DEVICE Irvin Liverant, 201 S. 18th St.,Philadelphia, Pa. 19103 Filed Nov. 28, 1967, Ser. No. 686,133 Int. Cl.A42c /00 US. Cl. 2180 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hat which isfoldable for compact storage when not in use, and which automaticallyassumes an expanded use position and a combined hat-storing and hatcrownshaping and erecting device which is contained within the hat whenthe hat is in use and which receives and stores the folded hat. Thehat-storing device is connected to the'hat to ensure that the hat andthe storing device are always available together.

THE BACKGROUND Conventional hats are unneeded when it is fair and warmand they are too bulky to carry around as insurance against a suddenchange in the weather. Furthermore, upon entering a restaurant, ortheatre, etc., hats must be checked or left on a hatrack accessible tothe public, because they are too clumsy to carryin ones lap during ameal or a show.

To be sure, collapsible hats, such as English visored caps, Frenchberets, and Russian Kulpacks have always been available, but these arenot the general types which most people can wear on most occasions. Nordo they have the appearance, or the advantages of a regular hat.

It is therefore one object of the invention to produce a foldable hatwhich will look like, and can be worn in place of, a regular hat.

To be foldable to a very small size, the hat must be made of thin,non-shape-retaining material, and its crown must be free of allrigidity. The crown of such a hat will be shapeless and will greatlydetract from the appearance and utility of the hat.

It is therefore a still further object of the invention to produce ahatwherein the crown is supported by a rigid frame only when the hat is inuse and wherein the crown is free of all rigidity when the hat is not inuse, and whereby the hat will be shaped when in use and can be fullycollapsed when not in use.

Envelopes for storing folded rainhats or raincoats are known. But, asfar as I am aware, when the rainhat is in use, its storage envelope hasto be carried around until it is needed.

It is therefore a still further object of the invention to produce animproved arrangement wherein the hat-storing envelope forms part of thehat when the hat is worn, and whereby the hat is stored in the envelopewhen the hat is not in use.

THE INVENTION A collapsible hat having a brim and a crown, an envelopehaving a resilient peripheral frame insertable into the crown of the hatto shape and support the same and strap connecting the hat and theenvelope.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a hat embodyingthe invention.

FIG. 1A is an enlargement of the upper left-hand corner of FIG. 1 andshows details of construction.

FIG. 2 shows the storage envelope being inserted into the crown of thehat.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of crown-shaping and hat-storing envelope.

3,496,574 Patented Feb. 24, 1970 FIG. 4 and 5 are sectional viewslooking in the direction of lines 4-4 and 55 on FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 shows the first step in folding the hat.

FIG. 7 shows the second, and last, step of folding the hat. For clarity,the frame only is shown.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the fully folded hat at the left, thecombined crown-reinforcing and hat-storing device at the right, and theconnecting strap in between.

FIG. 9 shows the folded hat being inserted into the hatstoring device.

A hat embodying this invention includes a brim 10, and a crown 12 whichis formed of a sidewall 14 and a top wall 16 and which may be of asingle, or of a multiply construction. The parts mentioned may be madeof natural tertile fabric, such as silk, cotton, or wool, or of amixture thereof, or of any available, flexible, elastic or non-elasticsheet material. The shapes and styles of this hat are optional and it isthought sufficient for the purpose of this disclosure to point out thatthe brim is provided with a pocket 18, or is so constructed as toreceive, or to have secured thereto, and to confine a slightly tensionedspring wire frame 20 or its equivalent, which frame, when unrestrained,stretches the brim to a shape which is determined by the contour of theparticular frame. For example, if the wire 20 is confined in an ovalpocket 18, or if the wire is stitched, or otherwise secured to theperiphery of the brim so as to take an oval form, the brim and the crownwhich will have been correspondingly contoured, will assume an ovalshape, and so on. The width of the brim and the height of the crown areoptional, and can be varied as desired. For example, for town wear thebrim will be narrower and the colors will be more subdued, and for sportor beach wear, the rim will be wider and the colors rampant. The tensionof the spring varies with the type of fabric used. For example, in thecase of a light, non-elastic fabric, a light spring will suffice, andvice versa. Also, forcibly to stretch an elastic fabric, or for use witha heavier material, a heavier spring will be needed, and so on.

The hat so far described is folded by twisting it to cause the frame 20to assume the form of a figure eight, as shown in FIG. 6, and by foldingabout the intersection of wire frame 20 as shown in FIG. 7, so that theopposite portions of the hat will overlie each other, in which position,the diameter of the hat will be about one-half of its diameter when thehat is in use. To allow the hat to be folded as described, the crownmust be flexible and cannot have any wire such as wire 20 which shapesthe brim. A shapeless crown will limit the use of the hat to rain wearand to sport and beach wear. In order to increase the utility of thishat, I have invented a device for shaping the crown of the hat only whenthe hat is in use, and for storing the heat neatly and compactly whenthe hat is not in use. The device referred to is in the nature of anenvelope formed of two walls 22 and 24 which may be made of natural orsynthetic elastic or non-elastic material, and

' the peripheries of which are secured together from about point A topoint B, and are left unsecured between said points to provide a mouthM. The peripheries of sidewalls 22 and 24 are constructed to form apocket which receives and confines a spring wire 28 which extendsbetween points A and B. Spring 28 has enough tension to stretch theenvelope out flatly. The size of the envelope, when unrestrained, issuch as to fit snugly at the junction of the 5 When the hat is not inuse, it is folded as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 and is inserted into theenvelope as shown in FIG. 9 to make a package small enough to be carriedin a pocket, or a handbag. When this hat is to be used, it is withdrawnfrom the envelope and allowed to assume its shape as shown in FIG. 1,The envelope is now presented to the crown by upward motion, as shown inFIG. 2 until it reaches its uppermost position in which the wire 28 nestles in the angle formed at the junction of walls 14 and 16, with thebody of the envelope abutting the underside of top wall 16 of the hat asshown in FIG. 1A. In this position of the parts, connecting strap 30 isconfined between the envelope and top wall 16, also as shown in FIGS. 1and 1A.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, a knockdown hat having a limp, shapeless crown and aresilient, permanently attached rim which is yieldably foldable uponitself, and

a combined hat-receiving and crown-shaping and supporting devicecomprising:

receptacle means associated with said hat including a mouth, and a rigidelement carried by the periphery thereof,

the shape of said receptacle corresponding to the shape of said crownand its size being such as to fit snugly within said crown when the hatis in use, and the size of said brim and said crown being such that whensaid brim is folded, the knockdown hat fits within said receptaclemeans.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 and a flexible element connectingsaid device to said hat.

3. In combination, a hat having a limp crown and a resilient rimfoldable to a first, non-use position of a relative small size, andexpandable to a second, use-position of a larger size,

a combined crown-shaping and folded-hat enclosing receptacle meansassociated with said hat-and includmg a rigidity-imparting element atthe periphery thereof,

said receptacle means fitting snugly in the crown of the hat to shapeand supportthe same when the hat is in its second use-position, andreceiving the folded hat when it is not in use.

4. In combination, a limp crown formed of a sidewall and a top wallconnected to the upper edge of said sidewall,

a brim permanently attached to the lower edge of said sidewall,

a first rigidity-imparting means carried by the rim of said brim,

said means being yieldably foldable upon itself to form two superimposedportions when the hat is not in use,

receptacle means associated with said hat having a mouth for theinsertion therethrough of the hat when folded, and including a secondrigidity-imparting means at the periphery of said receptacle means, theshape of said receptacle corresponding to the shape of the top wall ofthe crown and its size being such as to fit snugly within said sidewallbelow said top wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,007,235 7/1935 Woodside 22,295,826 9/1942 Brav 2 1s7 FOREIGN PATENTS 968,542 4/1950 France.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner GEORGE H; KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner

